# On Big Bang Theory, who MUST know Penny's last name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 25, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849 "2015-08-25T17:11:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/21 "2015-08-25T20:47:34Z")
I’ve said this before. Penny has a completely unremarkable last name, like [Smith](http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2009/smith-facts.html), which no one thinks twice about, until the Easter Egg pops up at the end of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/22 "2015-08-25T21:31:56Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Everyone that knows she starred in “Serial Apist” and the sequel has to know from the credits. If one was ever to use a “stage name” wouldn’t this be one? I’m still hoping for Penny Layne. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/23 "2015-08-25T22:05:32Z")
My speculation is that it will turn out to be something like Penny Bohr or Penny Hubble. She will turn out to be the grand-niece of a famous scientist, but she never knew it because the families weren’t close and she has no idea who Neils Bohr and Edwin Hubble were anyway. The guys will have never made the connection for whatever reason…but when they find out, they go nuts. And she will still have no idea what the big deal is. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/24 "2015-08-25T22:08:58Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > I’m still hoping for Penny Layne. Nah. If her last name were Layne (or Lane), the guys would’ve been making nonstop “Lois” and “Margo” jokes for years. And I do mean _nonstop_. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/25 "2015-08-25T22:16:45Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > My speculation is that it will turn out to be something like Penny Bohr or Penny Hubble. She will turn out to be the grand-niece of a famous scientist, but she never knew it because the families weren’t close and she has no idea who Neils Bohr and Edwin Hubble were anyway. The guys will have never made the connection for whatever reason…but when they find out, they go nuts. And she will still have no idea what the big deal is. Hmmm. I like that idea, but it would have to be a name so common that they wouldn’t have reacted to it. Maybe she’s Penny Everett. That’s a nice average name that Sheldon might not have connected to [Hugh Everett III](http://space.mit.edu/home/tegmark/everett/everett.html), the physicist who first proposed the “Many Worlds” theory of quantum mechanics that he’s so enamored with. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/26 "2015-08-25T22:41:12Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > I’m still hoping for Penny Layne. > [@Toxgoddess](#): > > My speculation is that it will turn out to be something like Penny Bohr or Penny Hubble. She will turn out to be the grand-niece of a famous scientist, but she never knew it because the families weren’t close and she has no idea who Neils Bohr and Edwin Hubble were anyway. The guys will have never made the connection for whatever reason…but when they find out, they go nuts. And she will still have no idea what the big deal is. Well, she could be related to [Herta Regina Leng](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herta_Regina_Leng) and thus would be “Penny Leng”, a name she’d find vaguely embarrassing because of the similarity to the Beatles song and with no knowledge or understanding of Herta’s impressive research. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/27 "2015-08-25T22:52:00Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Pretty sure her full name is Penny Penny Penny. Heh. You misspelled “Penny . . . Penny . . . Penny.” ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/28 "2015-08-25T23:07:08Z")
Penny de Wine? Penny le Kour? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/29 "2015-08-25T23:47:18Z")
I don’t remember. Is her first name Penelope? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/30 "2015-08-26T00:20:31Z")
Her father’s name is Wyatt. Ergo, the family name is Earp. QED. “Bob” is just a nickname to draw attention from the absurdity of the above. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/31 "2015-08-26T00:22:43Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I don’t remember. Is her first name Penelope? Are you suggesting that a family of Nebraska farmers were cognizant of Greek mythology? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/32 "2015-08-26T01:40:57Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Are you suggesting that a family of Nebraska farmers were cognizant of Greek mythology? :dubious: Maybe Wyatt was thinking of Natalie Wood the night Penny was conceived. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/33 "2015-08-26T02:13:47Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Maybe Wyatt was thinking of Natalie Wood the night Penny was conceived. Natalie Wood, mmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! :o ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/34 "2015-08-26T02:42:50Z")
Penny Farthing ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/35 "2015-08-26T06:29:23Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I don’t remember. Is her first name Penelope? She refers to herself as “Queen Penelope” in the online gaming episode. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/36 "2015-08-26T07:10:36Z")
As I said in another thread: Penny Gadget. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/37 "2015-08-26T12:04:45Z")
Zach must know since they must have had to fill out a form to get married. Of course he was probably drunk at the time. Leonard should know since he was the one who got the divorce papers drawn up. Sheldon knows because of the hospital forms, though he spent more time on the section about the last menstrual period. I’m torn between something ordinary like Jones or something silly like Pennybobenny. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/38 "2015-08-26T14:38:58Z")
I was going with the “perfectly ordinary unremarkable name” hypothesis, but I like **Toxgoddess** ’ idea that she’s related to some famous scientist. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/39 "2015-08-26T15:39:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I was going with the “perfectly ordinary unremarkable name” hypothesis, but I like **Toxgoddess** ’ idea that she’s related to some famous scientist. Seconded. And I think everyone in her immediate social circle knows what her last name is. IRL, how could they not? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849/40 "2015-08-26T16:55:37Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Are you suggesting that a family of Nebraska farmers were cognizant of Greek mythology? :dubious: While not common, the name Penelope is not limited to those who know Greek mythology. There was a[peak in popularity in the 1930s-1940s](http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=penelope&sw=both&exact=false), so maybe she’s named after an aunt or other relation. (Penelope Cruz’s parents were a hairdresser and an auto mechanic.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-big-bang-theory-who-must-know-pennys-last-name/728849.md?page=3)